The wide corridor was brightly lit, stretching inward so far the end was out of sight. Yu Yu closed the dorm door, frowning in thought. Her temples throbbed, as if pricked by needles. Rubbing them, she dragged fragments from her memory.
Shu Tu…
School…
[Code: Eerie Sound (Guiyin)]
In that moment, all threads connected. Yu Yu understood. They'd been separated upon entering. Then she encountered those things, tricked open a dorm door in a panic, and…
Here she was.
Two girls were tied by the bed, bound tightly with Animated Rope. At this moment, the two girls looked at Yu Yu expressionlessly, which looked quite creepy. Only now did Yu Yu fully snap back, grabbing clothes to cover the door's glass, blocking the corridor's view. Ignoring their gazes, she moved freely. She found a phone on the desk, testing both girls' fingers until it unlocked.
Checking the super timetable, she saw their classes.
Hmm, third-years?
Repeating the process, she found the other's timetable through various means. They weren't in the same year or major, and definitely not Zi Shu's class.
Troublesome.
Glancing at the duty roster behind the door, it listed the dorm number.
[8-103]
Zi Shu's group was in [8-326], but Yu Yu didn't know how to find them. Though she'd hidden quickly, her memory screamed this space was wildly abnormal.
A dorm building this big?
The corridor was wide enough for two cars side-by-side, its length absurd, like the entire sixth floor compressed into one. No way this was the original Building 8.
Rongda's dorms, male and female, were six floors, 36 rooms per floor, two per room.
If compressed to one floor, that's 216 rooms.
If we search one by one, the speed will be as slow as a turtle. Moreover, she hasn't seen any movement from Shu Tu and the others until now, as if they are not in the same space.
As for outside…
Yu Yu didn't want to recall.
The lights were bright, the tiles clean enough to reflect.
But the 'tap tap tap' came from a group tiptoeing.
Their faces were pale, their eyes rolled back, their arms were longer than their knees, their long canine teeth were exposed, and they jumped on tiptoe, their iron-like toes hitting the tiles, making crisp sounds. What's scary about them is that they look a lot like humans.
If they wasn't like a human, Yu Yu wouldn't be that scared. She still get chills thinking about it now. Moreover, there are a lot of them.
"Tap tap tap tap…"
Dense tapping sounded outside again. Yu Yu leaned against the door, expressionless, eyeing the two girls. They mirrored her blank stare, mouths stuffed with socks by Yu Yu.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
According to the time on that post, the poster was alienated on the third day. However, one of the key words in the official information is "growth". It can be seen that its scope of alienation has increased and the number of people affected has also increased significantly. At first, it could only affect one person at a time, but now it has pulled the entire dormitory building in. After letting out a breath, Yu Yu also felt a headache.
Outside was the corridor. The hallway features an unobstructed view. And this thing seems to be transmitted by sound. Although at the beginning it only pulled those who heard the sound, when its domain opened, everyone in the domain heard the sound.
At first, it only pulled those who heard it, but once its domain expanded, everyone inside heard the sound.
Up close, first-person style.
Waiting for the tapping to fade, Yu Yu tucked the girls tighter under the bed, casting Sleep Spell, then sealing them with ice. They drifted off. Still human, it seemed?
The tapping sound faded far away, and Yu Yu carefully lifted the clothes on the glass window, fearing that a pale face would come close to hers. Fortunately, no such hellish incident happened.
One good thing about her spell is that it can guide vision. As long as she can see, she can cast spells even without opening the door. As Yu Yu whispered a spell, a stone wall slowly rose up, making a slight crackling sound. The distant tapping sounds came closer again, and it seemed that they returned before they had gone far.
Yu Yu leaned against the door, closed his eyes and listened. After a while, the tapping sound faded away again. Taking this opportunity, Yu Yu counted the number of monsters.
…23, 24, 25.
Twenty-five—no wonder they seemed dense. Because there are really a lot of them.
The combat power of this thing is definitely not something that a normal person can defeat. It's a pity that we didn't take the initiative to attack it when there was only one individual, allowing it to grow to this level. Shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Yu Yu did not hastily lift up her clothes. She prepared to rest for ten minutes and restore her mental strength.
"Tap, tap, tap…"
A close sound started, leisurely hopping outside, circling.
Yu Yu: "…?"
Playing dirty?
Checking her phone, only five minutes had passed… good thing she didn't lift the clothes. After waiting patiently for a while with a gloomy face, it finally left. Checking the time: fifteen minutes.
Yu Yu waited another fifteen. Detect Evil
The cantrip triggered and there was a dense black cloud in the distance, but none nearby.
She relaxed slightly.
She was in 103; Zi Shu's group was at least in 326, 36 rooms per floor. If sequential, she'd need to cross 75 rooms, assuming they stayed put. 216 rooms, far apart, and she didn't know how opposite doors were arranged or if it was truly sequential…
Yu Yu rubbed her face. She can't be reckless, she was a squishy spellcaster.
103 was one corridor end. The dorm manager's room, with all keys, might be nearby.
Sadly, Open/Close worked on magical traps, not doors.
Aiming at the opposite door, Lightning Arrow
The door lock was opened precisely. There seemed to be no one inside, otherwise they would have blocked the door and the lock immediately. The tapping sound came again.
This time, Yu Yu was still counting their footsteps.
Leaving, still 25 sounds.
One stayed.
Yu Yu sat by the door, eyes closed, resting.
Fifteen minutes later, the single tapping sound faded away, but Yu Yu was still sitting there. Half an hour later, she stood up and looked out cautiously.
Great, no problem.
Wait a little longer until they are all gone...
A translucent blue wolf appeared silently in the corridor, the Stone Wall still standing.
This side's line of sight was blocked. The wolf nimbly reached the blasted door, nudging it open.
With a faint sound, it entered. Empty.
Yu Yu controlled the wolf to block the door again.
The tapping sound came again.
Yu Yu: "…"
Same routine, waiting them out. She raised another Stone Wall, repeating until it looked like a '二一' pattern.
Finally, she dared step out. Lightly, cautiously, she opened the door, guided by another wolf into the blasted-lock room. Closing it softly, blocking the lock, she scanned.
Truly empty.
Good.
Checking the duty roster: [8-101]
So…
Yu Yu focused, casting Lightning Arrow.
Lightning Beam drained too much mental energy—she'd save it.
Repeating the routine, she nabbed a keyring. The dorm manager's room was empty too. Now, keep moving. Hopefully, Zi Shu's group held on. After long, relentless effort, Yu Yu neared [8-326].
Make or break.
There were minor hiccups, but her caution saw her through.
Practice made perfect.
Yu Yu entered 326.
Good news: she saw Zi Shu and Fuyu.
Bad news: they might not be human.
Like the first dorm, they stared blankly, unbothered by her break-in, no reaction.
Yu Yu: "…"
She touched her nose.
…Not surprised.
No sign of Shu Tu's group, so…
[Medicine (crossed out) Lockpicking won't save Building 8]
Time to fight.
Tying them up, she stuffed them in the bathroom.
Glancing at a desk, neat handwriting read: [Wei Zi Shu].
Another desk: [Song Fu Yu] in bold, flamboyant strokes.
Fuyu's name was kinda nice.
Huh, Zi Shu's desk had tape. Got it.
Yu Yu taped their mouths, cast two Sleep Spells, and they slept face-to-face by the toilet. Switching rooms to avoid accidents affecting them. First strike: the ceiling scorched, a massive explosion cracking it into a web.
Second Flame Burst detonated among the tap-tap monsters. They weren't invincible—Flame Burst hurt them.
Yu Yu recovered mental energy.
The monsters were enraged and were running around the corridors, and there were sounds of several doors being smashed.
Then there was silence again.
Yu Yu is patient enough.
She hid quietly in the bathroom, counting her footsteps.
...25, 26, huh?
27.
28.
29?
What's going on? Why are there so many people?
After an unknown time, a second deafening boom shook the bright corridor.
Flame Burst
The ceiling gave way, collapsing. The corridor, thanks to Yu Yu's work, was a maze of '二一' walls, slowing the monsters. Yu Yu's eyes flashed. In a split second, she leapt.
Wait?
This falling sensation?
Bright lights faded, the new floor pitch-black. Heart racing, Yu Yu heard tapping from above and nearby. Candlelight
Checking the doorplate: [631]
Trying a key, it was wrong?!
No time to think, she rummaged for [136]'s key.
Sweat beaded her forehead, pupils constricted. A Stone Wall rose beside her, its clack echoing in the dark.
Found it.
Key in lock.
Opened.
Yu Yu dove in, slamming the door.
Back against it, her heart pounded.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Catching her breath, she cast Darkvision. Why so dark?
Outside, the tapping continued. Then, a soft knock.
The knocking was rhythmic, like footsteps. "Tap, tap, tap…"
Yu Yu's heart sank, staring at the bed's edge, where someone sat.
Sensing her gaze, they slowly looked up, revealing pinprick pupils, smiling softly, canines slicing lips, red blood dripping.
"Hello," she said.
Yu Yu's mouth twitched, hearing the steady knocking, forcing a smile uglier than a sob. "…Hello."